Distance
by raspberrieschocolate
Summary: There's a lot of fanfiction seen through the eyes of a Curtis sister, a younger one. But what if she's Sodapop age? What if she was just living away for a while when everything happened? When she comes back, how will everyone react? (rated T for later chapters)
1. Chapter 1

**I DO NOT OWN THE OUTSIDERS OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS!**

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_I'm home_. She thought as she reached the front of the small house that for so many years had been the home of the Curtis family.

Darrel Curtis and Leanne Curtis were two wonderful people that cared for everyone in this horrible neighborhood since the moment they arrived to the house as newlywed until the last time they walked through the door and got inside the car, ready for a night out.

After getting married in '45, they moved in to this little house and wanted to start a family right away._ And so they did._

In march of 1946, Darrel Shayne Curtis, son, was born. Both parents were ecstatic about the new member of the family, but both of them knew that him being the only child wouldn't last long, both came from big families and both wanted their kids to have to joy of having siblings to rely on. They loved each other so much, still a young love, and couldn't wait until having a second baby to share this love with.

It didn't last long before this wish came true and another baby came on the way, But this time_, it wasn't just one._

A tiny little girl with reddish hair and a big pair of grey eyes that came from the maternal side of the family. And so her looks earned her a name._ Her mother's name._  
Leanne Marie Curtis.

As well as another baby, a baby boy. But he didn't look like his baby sister but like his mother in a way, in fact, the baby had blonde hair with hazel eyes that would both later turn a few shades darker, matching some of the looks his cousins had, but that he would never meet.

His name_ had_ to be original. Because he was one of a kind since the second he was born, and so his name also was one of a kind.  
Sodapop Patrick Curtis.

And so the Curtis family was happy. Both parents were happy with their little bundles and loved_ still_ each other very much.

Three kids got along with eachother, and played as much as they could, cherishing every minute of the little innocence that their neighborhood would allow them.

But, in '52, risking the mother's life, another baby was born.  
Ponyboy Michael Curtis.

Both Darry and Sodapop weren't excited as much as Leanne was. Even if she was barely three years old, she was happy in her way about this baby.  
But even though out of the twins Leanne was the most excited and loving towards Ponyboy, out of the two Ponyboy chose Sodapop to rely on.

As the years passed, they played and played. Soon the boys started to have friends from the neighborhood and hung out more with them as a group than with only their siblings.

Leanne was the only girl at that, and she did not like to hang out with them as much as Darry and Sodapop did. Even Ponyboy, though he had been around four or five.  
Contrary to what most people thought, being the only girl didn't make her a tomboy at all, in fact, she stayed home and read books about being a lady most of the days while her brothers were outside playing. Or she spent the day helping her mom do whatever moms did.

When she was ten, almost eleven, something happened. Something very normal for young teenage girls, but this changed her life forever.

Actually, this little thing didn't have to do with what happened to her, but the days were close to eachother so as she remembered one thing she thought as well of the other.

One school night, after a day of uneasiness she went to the bathroom after feeling the need to pee, a few seconds later she screamed bloody murder as she saw a red stain on her little panties.

Blood.

All the family was in the livingroom at that moment, enjoying a bit of time with eachother before going to bed, so they all heard the scream and rushed to the bathroom were Leanne cries were heard.

Soon their mother went in and smiled as she saw what it was all about and told them not to worry, and to go to bed.

Darrel Curtis made sure of it, and sent the kids to bed.

Because of the small house they had to share rooms. Sodapop and Darry shared one and Leanne and Ponyboy -because of the age gap and also how both were the ones that behaved well the most- shared the other.

Ponyboy was alone that night, he was nervous and scared that something had happened to his big sister. Who even though was only three years older, was like the second mother figure he had after his parents. Leanne was the same, she loved taking care of Ponyboy, and both of them spent a lot of time together, seeing how sometimes Darry and -even Sodapop- excluded him.  
And so Leanne spent the days in with Ponyboy, maybe that was the reason he grew up to be the calm kid he was, seeing how most of his first years of life were spent, some days playing around his brothers, but others were spent with his older sister, who did nothing other than read about how to be a lady, and so other things about growing up and getting married and stories of such type.

He became interested in books as he saw her read alone night and day, and with permission of their parents they walked one day to buy him a book.

It was about cowboys, and had a few illustrations, but he loved it and would read it again and again for moths.

So, the thought of something happening to her older sister worried him a lot. He went to sleep a few minutes later but was soon waken up by his dad who told him he'd spend the night with his brothers, that Leanne had to sleep alone tonight and maybe a few nights too. He agreed half asleep and was walked to his brothers room where he continued his sleep.

Later that night, after she was told what happened to her and why, she had been given a sort of fabric and went to sleep. She also was told that she could not say anything about it to anyone. No one must know about it, only her mother.

And so she went to sleep with the uncomfortable extra clothing in her panties.

She cant remember how many days passed, but she knew there weren't a lot of days in between, as she always associated these two dates, but one day she came home to see her mother crying.

When she asked why she was told to go to her room and she obeyed. Later she was told to pack everything she owned.

And next thing she knew she was off to live with a new family, leaving hers behind.

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**hello!**

**i had this story in mind for quite a while, and I have the first ten chapters already written, but im still not sure to continue...**

**My aunt, Marie Loretta, was born in 52, but was separated from her family, just like Leanne was and for the same reason, so this kind of is based on a true story!**

**Please review, also, im looking for a beta reader but I do not understand how it works! if you're interested let me know!**

**so, thank you for reading! Expect a chapter soon!**


	2. Chapter 2

**AGAIN I DONT OWN ANYTHING**

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It wasn't until she turned sixteen that she found out what had happened years before. Unknown to her, her mother came from a wealthy family, but after marrying someone like her dad she was disowned and very much forgotten by her family.  
But not to all of them.

Samantha Lynn Walkman, a sister of her mother, had been close to her mother, and sometimes sent her letters about what was happening in the family.

She had told her mother about how the neighborhood she lived wasn't good for someone young as Leanne, and was willing to take her in until she turned eighteen, making her associate with the Walkman's so she could inherit money and that way help the Curtis.

At Leanne's ears, her mother, this sounded pathetic, and would never give her daughter to anyone. But it wasn't until Leanne's period came that she feared of anything happening to her young daughter. After all she was only ten, and already could become pregnant if someone took advantage of her in this rough neighborhood.

And so she did what she thought the best for her family and sent her off to Samantha's.

Three brothers had different reaction to the leaving of her sister.  
Darry had been upset about it, but said nothing.  
Sodapop had been confused and also upset, being the closer of age to Leanne as well as her twin, made sure to show it as much as his ten almost eleven years of age would allow.  
And Ponyboy, being young didn't understand what happened but found it strange how Leanne wasn't home anymore.

She left and lived in Oklahoma City, studied school and waited for her ticket to college. She planned only on studying before she got married, seeing how she wanted to become a house wife. But so far no boy had taken interest in her.

The Walkman had a lot of money, so when it came to school, she was listed as Leanne Walkman, but only in that school. In the records the government had she was still a Curtis. And that was thanks to a lot of money her grandmother had paid to the principal to make her pass as her daughter.

She had sent her parents letters the first years, but at the third year, even though she loved them dearly, she found it easier to live her life if she kept her aside from most of her thoughts. But even if she tried, she never could stop thinking about her brothers and parents.

_How tall are they? Darry must be around 20, how does he look like? Sodapop? The little Ponyboy! He must be in 8th grade! Is he tall? is he as skinny as she was or normal like Darry? Were they okay? Did they missed her?_

Halfway through 1966 something horrible happened and she would never forgive herself for never visiting her caring parents as well as stopping sending them letters.

When she was told that they were dead, and she lost it.  
She cried and cried like there was no tomorrow, and for her there wasn't. She had planned to marry someone from Tulsa, after finishing high school or maybe college, _who knew_. And live close to her family again, to her mother and father, as well as her brothers she missed truly.

So there really was no tomorrow for her.

She had asked to be left with her brothers, to be with them again, but wasn't allowed to even attend her parents funeral. Seeing how she was considered a a Walkman now, not a Curtis.  
Samantha had left her with her grandmother, Niamh Walkman, three years earlier, to start her own family. As she would no longer be able to take care of her as she promised, she left her with Mrs. Walkman  
That woman was full of resentment towards her oldest daughter, Leanne Walkman, that even though she was deceased now, there was no way she had forgiven her for marrying someone that wasn't as high as them.

She thought how there was only a year and a half left of high school so she pushed away her grief and tried her best so she could go back as soon as she got out of high school.

A few months later, for some reason she was at home and passed through the kitchen. Where the newspaper waited for her.  
She never read the newspaper, but she thanks god she did that day because other way she wouldn't have been able to know.

There, in the newspaper, was an article about her little brother.

And there she was now, after fighting the family her mother had fought years before, she had left them. And she had nothing now. Besides twenty bucks in her purse and a little paper with her aunt Samantha's address as phone number.

It was October, and it was only four in the afternoon but it was cold and seemed like a storm was coming.

She stood in front of her old house and felt the tears in her eyes ready to come out. Remembering all the times she played there with her brothers, or spent the day with her baby brother inside helping her mother take care of him.

It took her a few minutes until she walked to the door, she noticed there wasn't a car parked but she tried anyway, not daring to leave before knocking on the door she so many times slammed by accident after a long day, and later dreamed to seeing again.

As she knocked she felt fear in her, what if they were mad at her for not coming to the funeral? what if they didn't let her explain?

More 'what if's ' would have followed if it wasn't by the door opening and showing a young boy with bleached hair and green eyes looking at her with a worried expression, probably worried at the fact that no one knocked on the door unless it was something serious. And by something serious it meant something really, really bad.

"Ponyboy?"

As he heard his name he looked even more confused. There was a red headed girl, a pretty one and well dressed, calling him by his name. She reminded him of Cherry Valance, the Soc girl he had met a month ago, and showed him how Socs and greasers were alike in some ways.

"Uhm yeah." He said expecting an answer as for why this girl was at the door. As he said that he, in fact, was Ponyboy, the girl smiled bright and big and she reminded him of Sodapop.

"You don't recognize me, do you?" and as she said the word recognized it all clicked in his mind. How could he be so stupid!

"Le-Leanne?" He stammered and prayed to God he was right because if he was not he'd be really embarrassed about stammering in front of a girl and confusing her with a sister he hasn't seen since he was eight.

"Oh Pony" she said and engulfed him in a hug.

So he was right.

He hugged her back but was confused as to how to hug her and all that jazz because he has never hugged a girl like this besides his mother and it was a long time ago and-

And then just like that he started crying because he realized that there in fact stood his sister.  
Like his sister.  
Leanne.

She held him tight and started to cry -more like sob- as she hugged her little brother as hard as she could, dreaming of this moment since she was ten.

After what seemed hours but felt like seconds they let go of each other and she wiped her tears.

He took a good look at her and almost started to cry because all he saw was his mother. Her mother didn't have the tone of red she had in her hair but her face was the same.  
The make up, the way she did her hair, the way she cried, the way she stood, hell, even the way she smelled reminded him of home. The home they lost five months ago due to that horrid car crash that ended the lived of the people he loved the most.

"You're so ... oh god." She said looking around, everything like she remembered, like she dreamed when she was eleven years old and missing home "I'm sorry, I let myself in and didn't ask"

Ponyboy let out a short laugh "Don't be silly Leah, this is your home too, you know?"

She smiled at how he still called her Leah, the name he called her by, because of one day when Ponyboy was still too little -and as Leanne said: lazy,- he started calling her Leah instead of Leanne. She took a good look of her brother, he was different from the little boy she pictured him as, he was handsome and still had this calm look on his face. "Come here." She said and opened her arms for a hug, that he gave to her.

She made sure to hold him tight, and felt his head on her shoulder as she spoke her next words. "Pony, I know what happened to Johnny and Dallas, and baby" he let out a sob as she mentioned their names and slapped himself mentally, but then remembered that she was his sister, his second mom and let the tears come out freely, not giving a damn "Baby, I'm gonna be here for you okay?, I know it's hard, and I'm sorry I left, I missed you so much Pony, you don't understand. You're my little baby you know that right? I'm sorry I wasn't here five months ago, I love you so much Pony, I just love you so much it hurts me to have missed seeing my little baby grow up." and so she said crying and he cried harder, hugging her close and in a way feeling his mother in her, the tone of her voice and the love she felt for him, she was his sister, but she said right, she was like a mommy to him since he remembers.

Her mother had been very close, but for his first eight years of life there wasn't mommy without Leanne.  
If he fell and hurt his knee, his mother would come out with Leanne behind her and as she went back for a wet cloth Leanne would try to make him feel okay and try to make him stop crying.

So when his parents died, and not seeing Leanne since he was eight, he thought he had lost everything when it came to maternal love. He had Soda, and it had been enough, but having a woman hug him, and making him feel like a little kid again was just something he missed.

He cried on her shoulder about everything he never had the chance to do on his mother's, he cried about missing his parents, he cried about missing his friends, he cried about the stress he feels in school, he cried because of how he misses how everything was a year ago.

And she held him, because for a long time she wasn't able to.

After they both stopped crying and calmed down, he told her he had to make dinner for his brothers, and she told him she'd help him.

He expected help, what he didn't expect was Leanne doing everything for him. But she had told him to sit down and tell him everything as she cooked dinner with what she could find.

"So you're in highschool now?" She asked as she poured stirred a soup she had prepared with the few vegetables they had left.

Ponyboy nodded. "yup, I skipped a grade."

Leanne smiled to herself, seeing how her attention was to the soup she had prepared. Chicken soup with vegetables. "I always knew you were smart."

Ponyboy stayed in silence but noticed how Sodapop and Leanne were alike, even if when they were younger they would deny such thing.

"How's everything though? I remember my first year of high school being really hard. Too much pressure not to fail." She told him nodding to herself as she turned off the stove and started to set the table.

Ponyboy tried to stand up and help her but she didn't let him, so he had to stay where he was. "I guess it's hard but nothing I can't handle." He said with a chuckle.

Leanne rolled her eyes. "What about sports? you like football as much as Darry? Or pretty much into anything like Sodapop?" she asked him. He noticed how she was interested in him and asked as many questions as Darry but it was different. With Darry is like... it's just different.

"Actually, I'm in the track team." he told her as she sat down right across him, smiling at him with a pearly white smile and perfect lipstick.

"Really?" Ponyboy nodded "And do you like it?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean... you're in the team because you got in the team or because you like it?" asked him Leanne and he thought about it.

"I guess I do, yeah, I like it."

"Then I'm happy, what about Sodapop?" asked Leanne again, interested about her other brothers. "Is he in any team? and Darry? Does he play football in college?"

Ponyboy cringed at that, and felt like he was about to disappoint her sister, and in a way her mother, considering how much they were alike "uhh, well, they kind of dropped out."

Leanne widened her eyes at that. "What do you mean kind of? Who, Darry or Soda?"

Ponyboy just let out a sigh, if he was upset about it he couldn't imagine how upset she'd become after she heard about it. "Both of them."

Silence followed as they both looked down at their lap.

"It is that bad huh?"

Ponyboy just nodded, knowing what his sister meant by that.

"But you always have food right? You never lack of anything, right?" asked him Leanne with concern in her voice. And was _guilt_ what he sensed in her voice?

"We have all we need, not as much as you know.." he looked up to her to see her nod. "Before all that but we're doing okay, I guess."

"What about Darry and Sodapop? Why did they drop out?"

"Well Soda works at the DX and Darry with the roofing that .. "

"Dad worked at, yes." She suddenly realized how young his little brother was, sure, she was just about to turn seventeen herself, but her brother was always a baby in her eyes and to see him struggle when he spoke about their parents broke her heart. "Pone, mind if I give you something?"

Ponyboy looked at her "What?"

"Look." She started to look in her purse for the twenty bucks she had and took ten, saving the other ten because she had to buy some stuff. She handed the ten bucks to her brother and saw him widen his eyes "Take them."

"Leanne I d-"

"Take them Pony, and save them for when you need them okay? Just, Just take them." She told him and he took the money from her. To be honest she felt really guilty for living where she lived and her brothers living day by day and struggling to make ends meet.

"What about you?" Ponyboy asked and broke the silence that followed after he had pocketed the ten dollars.

Leanne looked startled "What about me?"

"Yeah, about you know, your life when you where, like, when you weren't here." He answered her and looked at her expecting an answer.

"Oh." she simply started saying. "Well, there really isn't much. All I did was go to school an-"

"Ponyboy, I'm home!" said someone at the door and Leanne didn't recognize the boy but apparently Ponyboy did because a smile appeared on his face. At this Leanne seemed to realize who was this and Ponyboy saw tears in her sister eyes. "Pony we shouldn't wait for D- Oh you have a friend over."

Ponyboy smiled at his brother, but Leanne was just in awe seeing her brother so tall and different from the boy she last saw.

"And your friend is a lady, an-Leanne?!" said Sodapop surprised but recognized his twin sister right away, no matter how many years had passed he still saw the little sister he saw leave and cried for at night for days and days until he realized his cries weren't going to bring back his sister.

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**I'm sorry if it seems boring right now! I'm just explaining stuff... and sorry if they seem a bit OOC!**

**anyways, hope this helps you understand a bit and yeah... have a nice day!**

**Read & Review! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

Sodapop reacted faster than Ponyboy and engulfed Leanne in a big hug, holding her sister close to him and just hugged her, letting actions speak louder than words to tell her how much love he -and will forever- has for the sister he held in his arms.

After a few seconds they let go of eachother and stood speechless, at loss of words for a moment like this.

In Leanne's head, all her thoughts were about the boy standing in front of her, her brother was no longer the ten year old boy she last saw with the light brown hair and brown eyes. He is taller, stronger, his voice had changed, there was traces of facial hair, his DX cap he had on... but the look on his face, his eyes, were the same happy and with a warm color, and in her opinion the best kind of eyes anyone could have, were still the same.

She was the first to break the silence "Look at you Soda! You're practically a man now!" and smiled softly at her younger -for eight minutes- brother.

"I-Le-I...How?" was all Sodapop could let out of his mouth after he realized that there, in front of him, stood his sister.

Leanne just smiled at that and shook her head "Let's get dinner served, shall we?"

When Darry arrived, he had the same reaction that Sodapop did when he saw her sister. But the hug was harder even if it was not as long.

It was a school night, and after dinner, Leanne told Ponyboy to go to bed, what he found strange, since it was normally Darry the one who told him so. But his sister was back, and he wanted her here so he obeyed. And left to his room.

But he didn't go to sleep, he stood with his ear glued to the wall as he heard the discussion that happened in the kitchen, thanking that the walls were paper thin.

Leanne sat at the table, as well as Sodapop and Darry, who looked at her and waited for an explanation, not in an angry way or anything... just reasons why her sister was away.

"I'm sorry I didn't call... But I wasn't allowed to even menti-Come near the phone..." Leanne struggled for words, not knowing where to start everything as well as fearing foolishly that her brothers wouldn't understand.

"Leanne... why are you here?" asked her Sodapop out of the blue, whose shock had worn out already, and was simply confused... and so the resentment normally out of character in himself towards his sister shone bright, no matter how much it hurt him to have such feeling towards his sister.

"I came here because" Leanne started. But soon realized she did not know it herself. Why was she here? Why did she come here? Will she stay? Did she really just gave up her future? "Soda.. can I speak to Darry?"

"What? Why Darry?"

"Soda please" said Darry with firm voice and Sodapop knew better than to try convince his brother otherwise. He walked to the room he shared with Ponyboy, and as he opened the door he saw Ponyboy jumping to the bed in a lame attempt to his the fact that he had been eavesdropping.

"I know you're awake"

Sodapop said and started to take off his clothes, only to leave his underwear on and slid under the covers, next to his brother.

"Why are you mad at Leah Sodapop?" Ponyboy asked remembering the way Sodapop had asked Leanne why was she here. He heard a tone of resentment or sadness in his voice when he said that and he was confused, his brother wasn't like that...

"I'm not mad" said Sodapop right away. He took a deep breath "I'm just a little... a little confused"

"Why?"

Sodapop sighed "I dont know... but let's not worry about that.. I'm tired Pone."

Meanwhile the brothers spoke in darkness of their room, Leah and Darry still were in the kitchen.

Leanne had her head in her hands as Darry looked at her, concerned about his little sister. He had no resentment, he knew the situation Leanne was put on as a little girl, and also knew how hard it must have been for her to be away, and also he knew she pretty much gave up everything to come back here.

"He's not upset at you." Assured her Darry, trying to make his sister talk, or at least feel a bit better after Sodapop asking the question they had all in their minds with a tone of angryness

"He should be."

"Leanne, Don't say that. I kn-"

"No, he really should be, I would be" Leanne took a deep breath "I saw what happened to Ponyboy in the newspaper a month ago, and I just knew I had to come... if I wouldnt have seen that, I dont think would come back until I was eighteen. I'm horrible."

Darry just stared at his sister. "You're not horrible, you did come back to us didn't you?"

Leanne looked up and a small smile appeared on her face "I missed you, I just knew I had to come back... I just.."

"Leanne, why did you come back?" said Darry. It was the same question Sodapop had asked a few moments ago, but this time it didn't sound hard. If Ponyboy was there he'd have hit the roof, seeing Darry as the "peacemaker" with soft talking and delicate questions. Sodapop was the one who did that. Tonight, the roles were changed, people were acting out of character and it was all a shaky mess.

"I read about the court, and how you have custody of both of them... and I know you must struggle a lot" she didn't want to say Darry that she actually knew that for a fact, thanks to the talk he had with Ponyboy earlier that day. "And Pony told me about you and Soda dropping out and I just thought that maybe, that maybe I could help."

"I'm sure you'll help as you can Leanne, and with, well, both Soda and I working and you helping I'm sure we'll-"

"That's why I wanted to talk to you alone." interrupted him Leanne

"What do you mean?" said Darry startled.

"I thought that maybe... maybe I could find a better job than Soda? or have two jobs maybe, and that way either you or Sodapop would go back to school..."

Darry looked even more startled at that. He was too proud to accept that a small part of him still wanted to go back to college, and he knew Sodapop hated school and wasn't really doing good while he was still there, but he knew as well how much his parents would have wanted their kids to finish school -high school in this case-

"What about you?, did you finish high school?" asked again Darry his sister, hoping for a miracle yes but as he saw her face he knew his answer. "You didn't?"

Leanne shook her head solemny and looked somewhere else than her brother as she spoke "I had to get here... besides, there's not much a woman can do out of high schoo, you know?" Leanne lied to herself "Sodapop or yourself have a bigger shot... it would be too selfish to stay knowing that."

Darry looked at his sister with wide eyes, but as he saw the look in her eyes he knew there was no point to try to convince her otherwise. Also, she didn't look like having her papers with her to try and get her to school again.

"Leanne... Sodapop wanted to drop out himself, I didn't ask him to." said Darry to tell his sister that it would be hard to get him back to school, not because of paperwork, but because he loathed it.

"And? I'll make him know that he actually needs school more than he thinks. A with me here, money isn't an excuse anymore Dar." assured him Leanne. "Tomorrow, I will talk to him."

Darry smiled at the determination his sister possessed and she smiled back, she was sure she'd get her brother back to school. She told herself that she did it because she knew it was what her parents would like, but a tiny part of herself did it because she knew she wouldn't be able to do it herself.

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**kind of a filler chapter, just wanted to make everything clearer... before i get comments on Soda's OOC'ness just... i didnt want to make him too dumb you know? I just thought he'd be a bit upset about how fast things happened... but no worries, he'll be himself soon!**

**Reviews DO make me update faster!**

**Have a nice Day!**

**-RC**


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